Can a Low-Carb Diet Treat Osteoarthritis of the Knee?

Researchers found that a low-carb diet can relieve the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis.

A
lifestyle modification may help relieve the pain associated with knee
osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study published in Pain Medicine.

Opioids,
pain relievers, and anti-inflammatory drugs carry unpleasant side effects for
many patients with persistent knee OA. Noting the need for alternative forms of
pain management, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
tested the efficacy of 2 dietary interventions: one low in carbohydrates and
one low in fat.1

Adults
aged 65 to 75 with knee OA followed one of the dietary interventions or
continued to eat as normal for 12 weeks. Every 3 weeks, the researchers
assessed the participants’ functional pain, self-reported pain, quality of
life, and depression levels. They also examined serum levels for oxidative
stress before and after the intervention.

The
investigators found that the low-carb diet reduced levels of functional pain
and self-reported pain compared with the low-fat and regular diets.
Participants who followed the low-carb diet also showed reduced oxidative
stress.

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The
authors concluded that lowering oxidative stress through a low-carb diet may
provide relief from pain and offer an alternative to opioids.

“Many medications for pain cause a host of side
effects that may require other drugs to reduce,” said Robert Sorge, PhD, assistant
professor at UAB and lead author of the study. “Diet will never ‘cure’ pain,
but our work suggests it can reduce it to the point where it does not interfere
with daily activities to a high degree.”2